In today’s episode of Framework, Jamie talks with Deirdre Van Nest, a professional speaker who teaches advisors, wholesalers, and leaders in the financial industry how to speak in a way that’s emotionally engaging.
When Deirdre was ten years old, her mother was tragically killed in a car accident. Fortunately for her family, the death of her mother didn’t drive their family into financial ruin, as the death of a parent does for so many families. That experience and the financial lessons she drew from it inspired Deirdre’s mission to help advisors become strong communicators so they can have these difficult conversations with clients before tragedy strikes.
Today Deirdre helps advisors and other financial leaders speak in a way that’s actionable and leaves listeners feeling empowered rather than overwhelmed. Even for the advisors who love public speaking, there are always some nuances that only a professional coach can instill.
Deirdre talks with Jamie about having hard conversations with clients, tips for effective communication across all industries, and standing out in a sea of sameness.
“If you’re an A+ advisor but a B- communicator, you’ve got a problem, right? There’s a gap there. And people are going to judge your competency. Your perceived level of competency is going to be lower. So my goal is to take those A+ advisors and get their communication skills up to the same, if not even a higher level. You can be an A+ communicator and a B- advisor and you’re going to have a more successful practice than the A+ advisor, B- communicator.” ~ Deirdre Van Nest
Main Takeaways
- As an advisor, you can’t put off the hard conversations. Those hard conversations can be the difference between families staying afloat amidst an emergency and going under. Many families are just one tragedy away from financial devastation.
- Sometimes less is more. If you can boil down a complex concept to its simplest form, you can communicate anything effectively.
- Impactful speech and communication is less about delivery and more about structure.
- For people to act on your communication, they need to feel your message. If they don’t feel it, they won’t retain or act upon it.
- Remember to find mentors whenever possible. Even the greats need a coach.
Links and Important Mentions
- Deirdre on LinkedIn
- Crazy Good Talks
- Crazy Good Talks Blueprint
- Crazy Good Talks Podcast
- Crazy Good Talks TV
- The Emotionally Engaging Advisor
- Thrivent
- The American College of Financial Services
- World Class Speaking by Craig Valentine
- Framework: Consistency, Process, and Coaching Champions with Bob Bowman
- The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner
- The Blue Zones Kitchen by Dan Buettner
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